Next Post
Saucy 30 Minute Thai Basil Salmon Curry.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Sharing my vegan twist on a classic Indian dish with this Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower. I’ve swapped the chicken for nutrient packed cauliflower, and replaced the heavy cream and butter with rich and creamy coconut milk and coconut oil. This coconut butter cauliflower is the perfect healthy, but still delicious, alternative to the traditional heavier version. It has a quick 30 minute cooking time and uses pantry staple ingredients. Making this recipe perfect for any night of the week.
My favorite thing to do is to cook for others. Creating a recipe that I know someone is going to love is such a fulfilling thing for me. It’s one of the reasons I love cooking so much. When my family was in town over Christmas, I knew that I would have to make Indian Butter Chicken. Butter Chicken is one of my brother Creighton’s favorite dishes. The rest of the crew loves a good Indian dish too.
That being said, there are a few people in the family who prefer a vegan/vegetarian diet. Enter this coconut butter cauliflower. It has all the same flavors and creamy sauce as classic butter chicken. However, it omits the chicken and replaces it with cauliflower, and is made vegan by using of creamy coconut milk.
It also happens to be much easier to prepare with just a 30 minute cooking time. So basically, it’s the perfect recipe for January.
I wanted to keep the dish as authentic as possible. So I first “marinated” the cauliflower in a mix of coconut milk, garlic, and ginger. It’s just a quick marinade to help the cauliflower soak up the garlic and ginger flavors. Once the cauliflower has marinated for 10 minutes or so, it’s time to broil. I like to do this to give the cauliflower a head start on cooking. it also gives it a nice little char before being added to the coconut butter sauce.
While the cauliflower is “marinating”, I make the coconut butter sauce to keep the recipe moving right along. The key to any good Indian butter sauce is all in the spices. I used a mix of garlic, ginger, garam masala, yellow curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper for a very well spiced sauce. It’s warming and spicy, but not in an overpowering way. If you’re sensitive to heat, just adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to your liking.
My real secret to a delicious Indian sauce, whether vegan or not, is coconut milk. I adore using coconut milk in place of cream in any Indian style sauce I make. I find it not only to be creamier and healthier, but also every bit as delicious (if not more so) than what you might get at Indian restaurant. The coconut pairs so well with the Indian sauce seasonings. It’s always my go-to when making Indian inspired food.
By the time you have the sauce together, the cauliflower should be ready to go. Just slide it right into the sauce to finish cooking.
As you can probably guess, my favorite way to serve this is over steamed rice with a side of my homemade naan (which I’ve been making almost every other day as of late). If you’d like something a little more nutrient dense than white rice, try using steamed brown rice or quinoa.
I ended up serving this with a little mango salsa on top (just a simple mix of diced mango, jalapeño, lime, and cilantro) and it was truly delicious. I would highly recommend if you love a fruity touch of sweetness, which you know I do.
So, what was the family’s verdict?
Let’s just put it this way, all of the coconut butter cauliflower was eaten before the chicken version was touched. Trust me, I’m shocked that everyone, even the meat eaters in the family, went for the vegan version. This dish is truly loved by all. In fact, some of my harshest critics said this was some of the best Indian food they’ve eaten. Even one family member who has been to India several times.
I think it’s safe to say the recipe is a true hit. I’m sure I’ll be making it over and over again, especially since it’s so easy.
If you make this Indian coconut butter cauliflower, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower
Servings: 4 4-6
Calories Per Serving: 523 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 1/3 cups canned full fat coconut milk
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 inches fresh ginger, grated
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper ,more or less to taste
- 1 can (6 ounce) tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- steamed rice and naan, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the broiler to high. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil. 2. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, 1/3 cup coconut milk, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, and a pinch of salt. Let sit 10 minutes to "marinate". Spread the cauliflower in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and broil for 3-4 minutes, until the cauliflower is just beginning to char on the edges. 3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the remaining garlic and ginger, cooking another 5 minutes. Stir in the garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, and cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.4. Add the tomato paste and remaining 2 cups coconut milk. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a boil, cook 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in coconut oil. If the sauce seems thick, thin with 1/2 to 1/2 additional coconut milk or water. Add the cauliflower and any juices on the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.5. Serve the cauliflower and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan and mango chutney, if desired. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on January 3, 2019
I made this last night and it was truly delicious. Incredibly I didn’t’ have any tomato paste in my cupboard and it still tasted amazing. I served it over the new Kale gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. A yummy alternative to brown rice. This is going to be one of my new staples!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Pam! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
I made this last night, and it was so good! I’m sensitive to tomatoes so I used a little red wine vinegar and lime juice to give it the acidity I thought the tomatoes probably did. I’m also sensitive to cayenne pepper so I just used a little bit more black pepper and a bit more ginger for spiciness. We can’t eat grains so I served it over chickpea pasta. Delish!
YUM! Thank you so much for trying this Franchesca! xTieghan
Love it! So fragrant. But I misread the ingredients as 2 times 1/3 cup. Will be trying again with the right amount of coconut milk.
Hi Tanja! Thank you for trying this! Let me know how it turns out for you next time! xTieghan
Made this skipping the cauliflower roasting resulting in less colour and flavour, but still tasty & nourishing.
Thank u.
Thank you so much! xTieghan
I’m recently obsessed with cauliflower-based recipes, and this one did not disappoint! So so yummy and perfect comfort food for cold winter days. I served with bakery-bought naan and the whole family loved it.
I am really glad you all enjoyed this recipe Esther! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This was amazing! I added a small bag of frozen peas and the green added a wonderful contrast.
Love that! Thank you so much Rose! xTieghan
Ive made this twice now, once with chicken and once with cauliflower and it is sooo good! My family and my in-laws are from Pakistan and India and it tastes so good to us, super flavorful 🙂
Oh wow that is so sweet! I am really glad you all enjoy this, Hena! xTieghan
I’m hoping to try this for dinner – it looks delish. One question – Is this more than 1 can of coconut milk?
Hey Holly! Yes, this is about 1 1/2 cans of coconut milk. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
You’ve done it again. Consistently making delicious recipes. Love the healthy take on this curry. This was so good and so easy. Thank you!!
Hi Alex! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
Awesome!! Definitely will be making this again
Thank you so much Ruby! xTieghan
Sadly, I’m one of the few people that had problems with this dish. The cauliflower was too crunchy, and I was worried the large head of cauliflower I used may have been too large? Would have been helpful to have more specific instructions on quantity and size of the pieces. I enjoy spicy food, but this was way too spicy and the flavors were a bit too intense. Maybe the curry powder I used was different than others. Also thought it had too much tomato sauce as well. I didn’t get any kind of creamy, buttery mouthwatering experience, as I had hoped. I liked other people’s suggestion of adding chickpeas or using sweet potato instead of cauliflower. I don’t think I’d make it again though.
Hi Larissa! I am sorry to hear that. Is there anything that could have gone wrong while making it? I would love to help! xTieghan
Have made this several times and always get rave reviews. Has become one of my most requested meals.
Wow yes! Thank you Mark! xTieghan
Would using frozen cauliflower be okay? I am thinking of just de-thawing and then possibly putting it under the broiler for a bit longer?
Hi Eleanor! I am sure frozen cauliflower will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I made this and naan bread both were delicious. But it took me much longer to fix than your recipe stated. How do cookbook authors come up with the time?
Love your instagram posts.
Anne
Hi Anne! I base the time off of how long it takes me to prep + cook the recipe. I run through it multiple time, but everyone cooks at their own pace. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This was so good!
Not only did I LOVE it with a high bar on Indian food after living in Vancouver and London, my meat loving family (husband, 5yrs & 2yrs old boys) loved this too!
I made the Naan bread to go with it, which was a slight fail as I made it too sticky but was still very good even if aesthetically not as beautiful as yours…
Thank you always, and more vegetarian/ vegan options would be exciting to see! XX
I am so glad you loved this Theresa! Thank you so much!! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan